Taxis: Licensing

(asked on 4th September 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will take steps in the next 12 months to prevent taxi drivers obtaining a private hire licence in a local authority area with lower licensing standards compared with the local authority area in which they undertake the majority of their trade.


Answered by
George Freeman Portrait
George Freeman
This question was answered on 9th September 2019

Taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) are permitted to undertake pre-booked work outside of the area in which they are licensed. PHVs are subject to a triple licensing lock; the operator fulfilling the request, the driver and vehicle must all be licensed by the same authority. As set out in the Government’s response to the report by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing, which focused on the sector in England (as taxi and PHV policy is a devolved matter), the Government will consider how restrictions on out-of-area journeys might work in practice, with a view to legislation.

The Government response to the report stated that we will bring forward legislation, when time allows, to enable the setting of national minimum standards in taxi and PHV licensing. We encourage licensing authorities to make full use of their extensive existing powers to protect passengers.

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